Abstinence Is The ‘Only’ Prevention

By Hannatu Musa Musawa

Every December 1 is a day set aside to mark the World AIDS Day. It is a day which avails people an opportunity worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV/AIDS, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died as a result of AIDS. It is a day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials, non-governmental organisations and individuals around the world observe the day, often with education on AIDS prevention and control. 

(Pix:wishestrumptet)

Globally there are an estimated 34 million people who have the virus. Despite the fact that the virus was only being identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of it, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history. However, today, breakthrough scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment. Also, now, there are laws that protect people living with HIV and we have come to understand so much more about the condition.

Nigeria has the second-largest number of people living with HIV worldwide. The HIV epidemic in Nigeria is complex and varies widely by region. In some states, the epidemic is more concentrated and driven by high-risk behaviours, while other states have more generalised epidemics that are sustained primarily by multiple unconventional interactions in the general population. Youth and young adults in Nigeria are particularly vulnerable to HIV, with young women at higher risk than young men. There are many risk factors that contribute to the spread of HIV in our society, including high-risk practices among itinerant workers, high prevalence of STD’s, clandestine practices, international trafficking of women, and irregular blood screening.

Condoms, HIV/AIDS And You

[A Rejoinder To The Article, Nigeria’s Last Virgins] 

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By Dr. Anthony Odoh

Some time ago, I met a friend who had just come back from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp in Borno State, Nigeria. He had thoroughly enjoyed the vagaries of camp life and was eager to share his experience with me. At a point, however, he got a bit upset. Some representatives from UNICEF, he informed me, had come to the camp to address the corps members. His complaint: “They could not even bring some paracetamol for our headaches and pains from the drills; they only bombarded us with condoms…” 

This is indeed a sorrowful trend in the fight to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic which has been ravaging the world for more than 2 decades now. According to the estimates from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), 37 million adults and 2.5 million children were living with HIV at the end of 2003. This shows more than 50% higher values than those projected by WHO in 1991 using the data available then. In 2003 alone, some 5 million people became infected with HIV. At the end of 2005, an estimated 38.6 million people were living with HIV, with 4.1 new infections and 2.8 million deaths. In Nigeria, a greater percentage of HIV transmission results through sexual intercourse. The concomitant presence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases/Infections also increases the risk of spread since a disrupted skin surface offers a wider portal of entry for the virus.